Meter connection



ul 14, 1931. e.w.McK1-:1-: 1,814,173

METER CONNECTION Filed Oct. 5, 1928 Patented July 14, 1931 PATENT OFFICE GARNET IifoKEE, F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS METER CONNECTION Application =fi1ed. Qctober 5, 1928. Serial No. 810,460. I

The invention relates generally to devices for use in connecting gas meters to service pipes. More particularly the invention relates to that type of connecting device 5 which consists of a rigid or non-adjustable crossbar having at one end thereof a horizontal socket which is tapped to receive the gas supply pipe, a depending coupling-nipple which is connected at its upper end to w the socket and has a coupling-ring at its lower end whereby it may be connected to the supply tube of the gas meter, and a second coupling nipple which is provided at its lower end with a coupling-ring whereby it may be connected to the outlet tube of the meter and has its upper end'ofiset and rotatably mounted with respect to the other end of the crossbar so that the fitter or operator in installing the connecting device can adjust one nipple relatively to the other, to register them accurately with the inlet and outlet tubes of the meter. 7 In meter connecting devices of this character it has been proposed to connect the offset coupling-nipple for the outlet tube of the gas meter to a hollow member which is rotatably mounted in the end of the crossbar opposite the socket, for the reason that with such an arrangement the aforesaid offset coupling nipple may be connected to the gas delivery pipe or house piping without the use of any form of a union connection, by simply tapping the top part of the hollow rotatable member and threading the end of the gas delivery pipe for connection to the tapped portion. The rotatable member heretofore has been made of a malleable iron or steel casting and has had connected to one end thereof a polygonal shoulder whereby it may be engaged by a wrench or similar tool and turned for the purpose of adjusting the offset coupling nipple relatively to the nipple for the inlet tube. Inpractice, a construction of this character, although practicable and eflicient as far as operation is concerned has proved, nevertheless, to be costly and difficult to produce due to the fact that extreme care must be exercised in machining the end of the bar to form a bearing for the hollow member and the latter'mustbe made of a machined casting and embody a polygpnal shoulder or similar tool engaging surace. 4

One object of the present invention is to facilitate the manufacture and reduce the cost of meter connecting devices, of the type under consideration. This object is attained" by providing a construction which permits the rotatable member to'be made of a standard extra heavy pipe nipple, avoids the necessity of a polygonal shoulder for turning purposes and permits the crossbar to be machined accurately and economically. In general the. improved construction consists in the formation of a fork on the end of the crossbar opposite the socket. The members, which form this fork are drilled to form a pair of bearings for supporting a sleeve formed of a standard pipe nipple and are spaced apart a suiiicient'distance to permit the free use of a standard pipe wrench when it is desired to'rotate the sleeve for the purpose of adjusting the subjacent couplingnipple. lVith a construction'of th'ischaracter it is manifest that thesleeve is held firmly in bearings which may be machined economically and that the use of a. polygonal turning shoulder is obviated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of simple, inexpensive and novel means for holding the sleeve against axial displacement with respect to the fork forming members. i

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a meter connection in which the crossbar is similar in shape to an I-beam so that it has great strength without excessive weight and prevents theftof gas by acrossport drilled longitudinally through the central part of the bar and between the gas inlet socket'an the rotatable sleeve. i p A still further object of the invention is to provide a meter connection which is of a novel construction and is an improvement upon that disclosed in an application for Letters Patent of the United States filed by meJuly 5, 1928, Serial No. 290,376.

Other. objects of the invention andthe various advantages and characteristics of the present construction Will be ripper??? item consideration of the following detailed de scription.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by the claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification or disclosure and in which like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front ele ational view of a meter connecting device embodying the preferred form of the invention, parts being shown in section for purposes of illustration;

- Figure 2 is a'plan view; Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1, showing in detail the I-beam construction of the crossbar; and

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of a meter connection embodying a modified form of the invention.

The invention is exemplified in connection with a gas meter A which may be of any suitable or'well known construction and is provided with a vertical inlet tub-e a at one side thereof and a vertical outlet tube a at the other side. v The tubes at and a are generally formed as integral parts of the meter casing and are provided at their terminals with external screw threads of and a respectively.

sides thereof. A. characteristic and an advan-' tage of utilizingan I-beam formation of this character is that the crossbar is effectively reinforced horizontally as well as vertically although it embodies only a minimum amount of metal. In addition it is practically impossible, due to the comparatively small width of the web, to steal gas by drilling a longitudinalcross port through the bar so as toconnec-t the inlet and outlet tubes ofthe meter.

A head 6 is formed integrally with one end of the bar B and has formed therein an open ended horizontal socket Z). vThe service pipe at for supplying gas to the inlet tube a of the meter is connected to the outer end of this socket by a screw thread connection 12 A vertically extendingcoupling-nipple Chas its upper end connected to the bottom of the socket b by a screw thread cona on the inlet tube a so as to connect said nipple and tube and form a gas-tight connection therebetween.

The crossbar B is provided at the end opposite the head 6 with a fork b which consists of a pair of fork-forming members 6 and Z) positioned one above the other. Thesemembers are formed integrally with the flanges b and b respectively and are connected togetherby a C-shaped member b The latter is formed integrally with the web 6. The member 6 has drilled throughthe central portion thereof a cylindrical hole or aperture Z) which has a vertical axis and is parallel to the nipple C at the other end of the crossbar. This hole Z) is coaxial with a cylindrical hole Z2 which is drilled in the lower fork-forming member.

I)". Said holes 6 and 6 are equal in diam eter and form top and bottom bearings for a vertically extending cylindrical sleeve D. A characteristic of utilizing a forkfor supportingsaid sleevein lieu of a solid head or tubular portion as exhibited in the aforesaid patent application (Serial No. 290,376) is that the sleeve is more rigidly supported andthe machining of the cross-bar may be done more accurately and economically.

The sleeve D is preferably formed of a standard extra heavy pipe nipple the-outer periphery of which is ground so that'it fits accurately withinthe holes I) and Z2 (see Figure 1). The upper end of the sleeve D projects upwardly of the upper-fork-forming member 6 andis provided with an external screw thread (Z whereby it may be connected to the outlet pipe E which is connect-ed to delivergas from thermeter to the various points of consumption; The lower end of the sleeve projects downwardly. of the lower member b so that it may be connected as hereinafter described to a coupling nipple F. The sleeve D is rotatable in the fork and is held in the holes or bearings I) and 5 against axial displacement by a stud al which is fixedin the outer end of the lower fork-forming member 6 and extends into an annular groove (Z formed in the outer periphery of the sleeve. This stud and slot connection permits the sleeve to be rotated in the fork and holds the sleeve and crossbar in connected relation. The fork-forming members 5 and Z) are spaced apart a suflicient distance to permit the central portion of the sleeve D to be gripped or engaged by a standard pipe wrench so that the sleeve may be turned to connect it to the gas outlet pipe E. By having a space of this character between the fork members the sleeve Dneed embody no polygonal turning shoulder and consequently may be made from a standard pipe nipple.

The'coupling nipple F serves to connect the outlet tube a of the meter A to'the sleeve D The. upper end .of said nippleis provention is shown.

'vided with an external screw thread f which is adapted to engage a corresponding internal thread formed in the lower end of the sleeve D. A coupling ring f engages a flange f on the lower end of the nipple F and is internally threaded to receive the screw thread a on the tube a to connect said nipple and tube and forming a gastight connection therebetween. Since it is necessary to provide for variation or change in the spacing between the coupling nipples so they may be made to register with the inlet and outlet tubes of the meter, the coupling nipple F is of the offset or swivel type. By means of this construction it is only necessary, when adjustment is desired, to rotate the sleeve D and correspondingly move the nipple F horizontally towards or away from the nipple C at the opposite end of the bar.

In practice, the meter connection, including the bar B, the sleeve D and the nipples C and F together with their coupling rings a and f is assembled at the factory and shipped to the user as a unitary device. In installing the connection, the crossbar B is rotated so as to effect connection of the gas inlet pipe a to the socket 6 The sleeve 1) is then rotated by inserting a wrench between the fork-forming members 5 and 6 This rotative movement is utilized to connect the upper end of the sleeve and the contiguous end of the outlet pipe E. The sleeve D and nipple F are then rotated together until the spacing between the nipples C and'F accurately correspond to the soacing between the meter tubes or and m After this has been done, it is only necessary to secure the tubes in place by means of the coupling rings 0 and 7.

In Figure i, a modified form of the in- In this form the upper end of the rotatable sleeve is enlarged to form a shoulder (P which abuts against and rests upon the top face of the upper forkforming member. This enlarged portion is provided with an internal screw-thread (i for connection with the gas outlet pipe. The sleeve is held in the fork of the cross bar against axial displacement by a ring (Z which is welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the central portion of said sleeve and bears against the bottom face of the upper forkmember.

The meter connecting device disclosed herein exemplifies an improved connection of the type that consists of a rigid or nonadjustable crossbar having at one end thereof a horizontal socket which is adapted to receive the supply pipe, It may be manufactured at a comparaively low cost and per mits of accurate and economical machining as well as the use of a standard pipe nipple for the rotatable member. lnaddition, the device provides for the ready adjustment of the coupling nipple for the outlet tube of the gas meter and obviates the use of a polygonal turning shoulder. Furthermore, the construction of the crossbar itself lends rigidity to the device and results 'inthe elimination'of excess metal and the resultant additional weight. j V The-invention is not to be unde'rstood as restricted to the details set forth,since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claiins, without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention.

. Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire ters Patent, is:

1. In a meter connection, the combination of a rigid bar provided at one end with means for connection to a pipe and a couplingnipple adapted to communicate with the pipe through said means, a fork at the other end of the bar, consisting of a pair of fork-memb ers disposed one opposite the other and having coaxial holes formed therein, a sleeve fitting accurately and rotatable in the holes and having the ends thereof projecting beyond or outwardly of the fork-members,

vmeans at one end of said sleeve for connection to a second pipe, and a coupling-nipple connected to the other end of said sleeve.

2. in a meter connection, the combination of a crossbar provided at one end with means for connection to a pipe, the central portion of said crossbar being shaped to form a vertical web and a pair of flanges projecting laterally from said, web, a coupling-nipple connected to the crossbar and in communication with the pipe through said means, a pair of fork-forming members at the other end of the crossbar, formed integrally with said flanges respectively, said membersbeing provided with coaxial holes, a sleeve fitting accurately and rotatable in said holes and provided at one end thereof with means for connection to a second pipe, and a cow pling-nipple connected to'the other end of said sleeve.

3. 111 a meter connection, the combination of a rigid bar provided at one end thereof with means for connection to a pipe and a coupling nipple adapted to communicate with said pipe through the means, a fork at the other end of the bar, consisting of a pair of fork-members disposed one opposite the other and having coaxial holes formed therein, a' sleeve fitting accurately and r0- tatable in the holes and provided at one end with means for connection to a second pipe, and a coupling nipple connected to the other end of the sleeve and adapted to communicats with said second pipe through the sleeve.

l. In a meter connection, the combination of a rigid bar provided at one end thereof with means ior connection to a pipe and a coupling nipple adapted to communicate with said pipe through the means, a fork at to secure by Let-' the other end of the bar, consisting of a pair of fork-members disposed one opposite the other and having coaxial holes formed therein, a sleeve fitting accurately and rotatable in the holes and provided at one end With means for connection to a second pipe, means associated with one of the fork members for preventing'axial displacement of the sleeve relativelyto the fork and bar, and a coupling nipple connected to the other endof the sleeve and adapted to communicate with said second pipe through the sleeve.

Signed at Rockford, Illinois, this 29th day of September, 1928.

, GARNET MoKEE. 

